US will not negotiate forever with Iran, Kerry tells Israel

Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry has told Israel that the US and its partners will not negotiate forever with Iran on the latter's nuclear ambitions and vowed to discontinue talks that are not making tangible progress.

In a speech focusing on the relationship between Israel and the US, Kerry Sunday commented about the stalled peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, the fight against the jihadi Islamic State group, and the negotiations between P5+1 group -- the US, France, Britain, China, Russia, plus Germany -- and Iran over its nuclear programme.

"We have no intention of negotiating forever, absent measurable progress, who knows how much longer (the negotiations) could go on," Kerry said at the Saban annual forum held in Washington.

In order to achieve a stable nuclear programme with Iran, the P5+1 countries agreed in Vienna Nov 24 to extend the negotiations which started in January for seven more months, with four months for reaching an agreement and three more for finalising technical details.

Kerry added that with significant differences between the two sides an agreement is unlikely, but the flexibility shown by Iran in recent weeks could help resolve some issues. Kerry defended the negotiations and urged Israel for patience after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahi appeared before the forum via satellite and trumpeted his country's role in preventing an unsatisfactory agreement in November.

The secretary of state also expressed his opposition to Israeli settlements expanding in Palestine which he said undermined the prospects for peace and harms Israel's ties with the international community.

Kerry also criticised the rocket launches by the Hamas Islamist militia in southern Israel during the Gaza crisis in August and the deaths of Palestinians in Israeli attacks.

Although the peace process between Israel and Palestine seems to be impossible, Kerry promised that the US would work closely with the next Israeli government and will help to restart the negotiations between the two sides.